How can I kelp?
Conservation meets fun at three-day event
Party on or near the beach and for sake of the ocean during the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative’s second annual Art on the Beach weekend, a three-day event running Saturday, July 16, through Monday, July 18.
The event brings together community science and artistic expression to raise awareness about the interdependence of humans and the oceans as well as the impacts of climate change on our coastal communities and environment.
Join members of the Elakha Alliance, a non-profit working to reintroduce sea otters back to their native waters, and renowned San Francisco-based artist and seaweed expert Josie Iselin for activities designed to highlight kelp forests, sea otters and the crucial role they play in marine ecosystems.
Guests and volunteers can look forward to a wide range of activities to participate in, including a sea-star monitoring experience; raking a 100-yard long bull kelp and sea otter design on to the beach; and a sea creature printing workshop.
"Art is an excellent medium to instill a sense of appreciation for the natural world around us,” said Chanel Hason, director of outreach and community relations for the Elakha Alliance. “We're thrilled to help promote ocean conservation through this creative project with the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative."
Iselin has authored many books, including her most recent publication, “The Curious World of Seaweed” described by the journal Nature as “a mesmerizing swim through a liminal world.” Diana Portwood of Bob’s Beach Books will have a selection of Iselin’s books for sale on Sunday evening at the Art and Science presentation at the Lincoln City Cultural Center.
All events are free unless noted. For more information, go to cascadehead.org.
Full list of events:
● Sea star monitoring, Saturday, 9 am.
Beginning at the tidepools at the far north end of Lincoln City’s Roads End beach, scientists and volunteers will measure how quickly ochre sea stars are rebounding after a wasting disease swept through their ranks. Look for the informational tables to learn more and how you can help with Wrack Line, another community science research project from the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative.
● First sand raking event, Sunday, 9:30 am to noon.
On the beach in front of Chinook Winds Casino Resort, with Josie Iselin and members of the Elakha Alliance.
● Forests of the Sea printing and educational workshop, Sunday, 2:30 to 4:30 pm.
At the Lincoln City Cultural Center, Josie Iselin will be teaching cyanotype/solar printing and Duncan Berry will be offering the Gyotaku technique of printing seaweeds and the creatures that inhabit the near shore including octopuses and rockfish. Tickets are $60.
● Art and Science presentation, Sunday, 6:30 to 8 pm.
At the Lincoln City Cultural Center the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative, OSU’s Marine Studies Initiative and the Elakha Alliance will host an immersion into the amazing undersea world of kelp forests and the role they play in the efforts to re-introduce sea otters.
● Second sand raking event, Monday, 10 am to 1 pm.
The artists and rakers will return to the beach in front of the casino to depict giant ochre sea stars marching down the beach.